The Decido System

[Wryneck]

"Hello, and welcome to the Decido system, the next step in next-gen decision making!

With Decido, making decisions has never been easier. With a single chip, the Decido System will relay the outcomes of all the choices you ponder everyday, simplifying the process and making it easy to make sure you make the best possible choice, all the time!"

"Thanks to the Decido System, you never have to wonder if you'll be late for the bus because you ate breakfast again. Using state-of-the-art technology, the chip relays that you've entered 'the decision-making process', to the Decido system, and cross references dozens of previous and current decisions related to your own, such as how fast the bus driver has decided to drive, in order to give you an accurate representation of your choices' outcomes."

"The Decido System is so much more than that, however. By registering decisions made into the system's database, we're able to stop crime before it happens, by immediately sending out law enforcement whenever someone decides to break the law, creating a virtually crime-free environment here in Trevance City. Civilians can be at ease knowing that the Decido System is there to protect them. In addition to this new system, the Decido Enforcement Control and Investigation Force (DECIF) was established to help keep you even safer."

"The new personal helper bot, Decio, is also available, giving further insight into the various decisions you make throughout your day, relaying useful information to help you make better choices."

"The Decido System: Making Better Decisions for a Better Future.
Happy Decision Making!"

---

Now that the fancy, commercial style introduction is out of the way, I'll get into the nitty, gritty explanation of the Decido System. It is, essentially, a large database of decisions that's added to whenever someone makes a decision. Whenever someone enters the decision-making process, the system relays information to the chip that uses information gathered from the decisions of others to to accurately portray choice outcomes.

For example, if someone decides to drug your drink, and you ponder whether or not to take a sip, the Decido System will relay to you that someone has made the decision to drug it, therefore protecting you from something that could prove to be dangerous. As in the example provided in the introduction, if you ever wonder if that extra piece of toast will make you late, the Decido System references the various decisions that have been made that would affect you're own, such as how fast the bus driver has decided to drive, how long it took someone to pay for their bus ticket, etc, and your personal helper bot, Decio, will give you the odds of such an occurrence, ex: "There is a 75% chance you will be late for the bus if you decide to have another piece of toast." The year, by the way, is 2112.

I should also mention that the Decido System is currently only set up in the experimental city of Trevance. As soon as people are of an age where they can make sound decisions, they are given two choices: they can be chipped, or they can be moved out of the city, all expenses paid. The chip is inserted painlessly into the back of the neck, where it is connected seamlessly to the part of the brain associated with decision making, the prefrontal cortex.

I've covered most of the basics, but I'd be more than happy to answer any questions anyone might have. I'd also like to mention that in this roleplay, you will have a choice to play as a DECIF worker, or as a civilian. There will eventually be conflict involved, even though it may be hard to see where such a conflict could exist. There are still many things about the Decido System that haven't been revealed to the public, which will be gradually divulged throughout the course of the roleplay.

So, any questions? ​

 

[Promedai]

I'm not smart enough to ask questions. So I should be the perfect mindless sheep for the decido system, cause I sure am interested in this concept!

 

[Wryneck]

Would love to have you on board!

 

[Boss Megu]

From what I see, this is going to be a very complex and difficult RP. I'm leaning towards really difficult and mind-blowing. I've got a few questions before I sign my soul over to you again. I hope you don't mind.

Now, you mentioned DECIF worker or civilian. The DECIF worker, are they only the police type, but are they also part of the programming of the decido system, or the ones who take all information?
As for civilian, I understand that part, but are we allowed to chose between mindless sheep do-gooder or those who attempt to try and trick the system?

And for the decision making part, how is it going to be placed? Are we going to be the ones who decide on the statistics or whatever of the NPC's, or is there a system you have in mind to get this set? I mean, let's say I play a 20-something who's going to college and didn't study for an exam and her best friend offers her a peak at her test paper. Do we get to decide what the possible outcome is? What the percentage of the teacher noticing them? If the teacher is looking for students who are cheating? And if the cheating will lead to a good grade?

...does this also mean it has full access to your memories and thoughts, well thoughts are obvious. But what about previous experience and memories, will they play a factor and will they be brought out in this moment? Also, will there be a time-consumed when Decido helps you make the choice? Or is it all just a split second to avoid eating the rest of your day? I mean, what if the bus driver is making a decision if he'll make a sandwich for dinner or buy take out instead while he's driving, if Decido happens while he's driving and it takes time out in the real world, he could cause an accident...

Or what if that could be conflict?

I know, I'm rambling, but I really just want to clarify everything now prior to this being played out. I'm sorry. ^^;

 

[Wryneck]

The DECIF worker, are they only the police type, but are they also part of the programming of the decido system, or the ones who take all information?
As for civilian, I understand that part, but are we allowed to chose between mindless sheep do-gooder or those who attempt to try and trick the system?

The DECIF worker is more the police type. They don't handle the information within Decido. The ones who created the system maintain it. As for civilians, it's pretty hard to deceive the system, but you can be a rebel if you'd like. Just note that the chip also acts as a GPS, so DECIF would find you pretty easily if you decided to commit a crime or something. Also, your personal Decio would repeatedly advise against rebelling against the system.

And for the decision making part, how is it going to be placed? Are we going to be the ones who decide on the statistics or whatever of the NPC's, or is there a system you have in mind to get this set? I mean, let's say I play a 20-something who's going to college and didn't study for an exam and her best friend offers her a peak at her test paper. Do we get to decide what the possible outcome is? What the percentage of the teacher noticing them? If the teacher is looking for students who are cheating? And if the cheating will lead to a good grade?

When the teacher decides on a grade for an individual, the Decido system would send them the information regarding a student's decision to cheat, and another student's decision to let them sneak a peek, so yeah, they wouldn't be able to get away with it.

...does this also mean it has full access to your memories and thoughts, well thoughts are obvious. But what about previous experience and memories, will they play a factor and will they be brought out in this moment? Also, will there be a time-consumed when Decido helps you make the choice? Or is it all just a split second to avoid eating the rest of your day? I mean, what if the bus driver is making a decision if he'll make a sandwich for dinner or buy take out instead while he's driving, if Decido happens while he's driving and it takes time out in the real world, he could cause an accident...

The only thing Decido does is help portray outcomes of choices you're considering. If you're contemplating between two pairs of shoes, Decido won't suggest a third pair. As for time-consumed, it doesn't pause time, but Decido works alongside the Decio bots, so it wouldn't kick in if you were in a situation where being distracted would be disadvantageous. It will, however, still register any decisions you make.

The biggest conflict involves the punishment system for deciding to commit crime (which will be revealed later in the roleplay, and it will be revealed earlier if there are any DECIF members being played), and the morality behind it. Another big question that will continuously be asked is if this utopia is worth the "mindlessness" it generates as a result of all our decisions technically being made for us.

 

[Wryneck]

As for who decides outcomes and such, for trivial matters, I'll let the roleplayers decide, and reserve the more impacting outcomes for my own discretion.

 

[Boss Megu]

Thanks for answering that. Sorry if they seemed very weird. :P

While I'm not so sure if I want to play it, I'll stick around until you open a thread for me make the big decision. But it seems fairly interesting, so I'm going to be leaning on a positive maybe on this. :)

 

[Vivian]

1. Can the system be in some way damaged, hacked, or 'malfunction'?
2. If yes, how is this handled?
3. Does the insertion of the chip occasionally go wrong? What would make a person not want the chip?
4. Why do they need to be moved out of the city?
5. Are there instances where people are not compatible with the Decido system (something like this could probably lead to conflict)?

I'll probably have more questions later on.

 

[Wryneck]

1. Can the system be in some way damaged, hacked, or 'malfunction'?
2. If yes, how is this handled?
3. Does the insertion of the chip occasionally go wrong? What would make a person not want the chip?
4. Why do they need to be moved out of the city?
5. Are there instances where people are not compatible with the Decido system (something like this could probably lead to conflict)?

I'll probably have more questions later on.

1. Yes, the system is essentially a machine, and, like any machine, is hackable, damageable, susceptible to hacking, etc.
2. There's emergency backups of all of the Decido systems files, so in the worst case scenario, the system is shut down and reinstalled.
3. Defective chips are a thing, yes, but very rare, and it's usually detected and fixed before it can be taken advantage of. As for why a person wouldn't want the chip, it's pretty simple. Though it offers a great deal of convenience, it's easy to see why some would view having their every decision recorded as an invasion of privacy, and thus, why some would opt out.
4. People who refuse to be chipped are moved out of the city because one of the requirements for living here is being chipped, as it's part of crime management and such. Having someone that isn't chipped freely roaming the streets is a threat, both to the citizens and to the system.
5. Nope. Anyone and everyone is compatible with the system. However, they don't chip people who are deemed incapable of making decisions on their own (such as the mentally ill), because the system won't do them much good anyway, and it's hard to record their "true" decisions. In this case, the mentally ill person is relocated to another city.

I would like to mention now that Trevance is on an isolated island, away from most other cities, as a means of keeping the system from being breached by foreigners.